Saxophonist Joseph Archuleta performs “Cansoun Per Ma Mio” for the Saxophone Studio Recital held in the Wahlberg Recital Hall on Tuesday night.
The music department showcased some of its students talent Tuesday night when the saxophone studio gave its biannual concert at the Wahlberg Recital Hall.
The recital was organized by Fresno State saxophone professor Alan Durst, and students performed before a moderately-sized crowd of their peers, friends and family.
“Every semester I do one recital for all the saxophone majors at Fresno State that gives them a chance to showcase not only their performing but to perform the pieces that they’re working on,” Durst said. “This is more of an educational experience.”
The concert featured six students performing with piano, two students performing unaccompanied, and two saxophone quartets.
“Most of the musical repertoire for the instrument happens 1930s and forwards,” Durst said.
The music included contemporary classical music written by French, Japanese and American composers. Durst said that the most well-known composer the students played were Philip Glass and David Maslanka.
“If you know classical music, Philip Glass is a pretty big name in that field. He actually is a minimalist composer, which is like the start of repetition music, which is what all pop music is based on,” Durst said.
“David Maslanka is a very big classical concert composer, so they’re very big names for classical music in the saxophone world. It’s probably not as big for regular people — but that’s okay.”
One of Durst’s more advanced students, Joshua Locher, a 20-year-old junior studying instrumental performance, performed alone and with the saxophone quartet. Locher plays the alto saxophone.
“I’m really a fan of playing in these recitals,” Locher said. “I like hearing my peers and playing for my peers.”
Locher said that he was glad to have new music to showcase, and that his piece was written within the last two decades, so it was something different and exciting.
“I’ve been playing at the studio recital every semester. I’ve been playing with the quartet, and I’ve also done a few things by myself,” Locher said.
The concert also gave students the opportunity to practice for future recitals, particularly upper-division students who are required to perform a solo recital to fulfill graduation requirements. Locher said he was preparing for his junior recital next semester.